Decorative column structure

ABSTRACT

A decorative, lightweight column structure suited for interior decorative purposes includes a lightweight, decorative fiber support and thin, flat decorative segments secured to an outer surface of the support. A method of making includes providing a durable fiber support and fastening the decorative elements to the support in a particular decorative pattern array that also increases the strength of the structure.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention generally relates to building structure and moreparticularly to decorative column structure and a method of making.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Decorative column structure suitable for overcoming weight andexpense problems are able to enhance the appearance of an interior roomin a house or office. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,963,846, 4,606,167, and 5,325,652disclose prior attempts to provide column structures.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0003] A lightweight decorative column structure particularly suited forinterior use and method of making disclosed includes a round, hollow,lightweight support preferably of a rigid spiral wound fiber materialand a covering of thin, flat decorative facing segments preferably ofnatural stone. A method of making includes coating the support with awaterproof paint, securing a wire mesh to the waterproofed exteriorsurface, filling the mesh with a cement material, applying thin naturalstone facing segments to the cement material and after a selected timeinterval filling the spaces between facing segments with grout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Details of this invention are described in connection with theaccompanying drawings which like parts bear similar reference numeralsin which:

[0005]FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of decorative column structurewith portions broken away to show interior construction embodyingfeatures of the present invention.

[0006]FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

[0007]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3—of FIG. 2.

[0008]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing two spaced column structuresin a bathroom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Referring now to the drawings there is shown a decorative columnstructure 12 including a core or support 13 having a decorative patternarray of facing segments 15 affixed to an exterior surface of thesupport 13. The core shown is a tubular or cylindrical, hollow bodypreferably made of layers of paper fiber, spirally wound and laminatedtogether with an adhesive. A conventional cylindrical tube used as anexterior form with concrete inside has been found suitable for thispurpose and sold under the trademark SONOTUBE ®. typical tube is up to10 feet in length, 8 to 18 inches in diameter and ¼ inch in thickness.This tube is rigid and free standing or self-supporting when in anupright position.

[0010] A preferred structure 12 has a waterproof layer 16 applieddirectly on the exterior surface, a layer of wire mesh 17 secured to thecoated support as with staples or the like. A layer 18 of cementmaterial such as latex modified cement (thinsett) is applied to the meshand the facing segments are placed on the cement material which adheresthem to the support when the layer 18 sets up. The support 13 isdisposed upright on a base sheet 21 and the support 13 is secured to thebase sheet 21 as by an adhesive 22 between the support and base sheet21. The material of base sheet 21 may or may not match the facingsegments 15.

[0011] The facing segments 15 preferably are a natural stone, flat,preferably a relatively thin thickness preferably ⅜ inches, a relativelynarrow width preferably 1 and ¼-2 inches. The long facing segmentpreferably has a length of 12 inches. These facing segments are arrangedin a pattern which alternate long 15 a and short 15 b with the long 15 aoffset lengthwise which contributes both to the decorative effect andthe strength.

[0012] The method of making the column structure comprises the steps ofproviding a fibrous, spiral round rigid support 13 of a selected lengthand thickness, applying a waterproof on the outer surface of thesupport, fastening a wire mesh material on the outer coated surface asby staples, filling the mesh with a cement material, placing a pluralityof long and short stone facing segments 15 to the cemented wire mesh tocover the wire surface leaving gaps between the segments, and after atime interval of about 15 to 20 hours grouting the gaps between thefacing segments.

[0013] Referring now to FIG. 4 there is shown a typical interior room 31in which two of the above described decorative column structures 12 areinstalled at spaced positions. The room 31 has a bathtub 32 with thecolumn structures 12 supported on cylindrical based portions 33 alongthe side of the bathtub 32. The room has a back wall 34 and a floor 35made of a material that matches the facing segments of the columnstructures 12.

[0014] Although the present invention has been described with a certaindegree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosurehas been made by way of example and that changes in details of structuremay be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A decorative column structure comprising: anelongated, fiber, tubular support of a preselected dimension, and apatterned array of thin decorative facing segments rigidly secured toand covering an exterior surface of said support.
 2. The structure asset forth in claim 1 wherein said support is made of layers of paperfibers, spirally wound and laminated with an adhesive.
 3. The structureas set forth in claim 1 wherein said support with facing segments isdisposed upright on a flat base and secured to said flat base.
 4. Thestructure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said support is a hollow,cylindrical body that circumferentially extends a full 360 degrees. 5.The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said facing segments areof natural stone.
 6. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidarray includes alternating, end to end long and short segments, saidlong segments being longitudinally offset from one another the length ofeach short segment to provide for decoration and increased strength. 7.The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said facing segments areof natural stone selected from the group of marble, granite, limestone,travertine and slate.
 8. The structure as set forth in claim 1 includinga waterproof coating on the exterior surface of said support.
 9. Thestructure as set forth in claim 1 including wire mesh fastened to theexterior of said support.
 10. The structure as set forth in claim 1including a cement material in the form of a latex modified cementcovering said wire mesh.
 11. The structure as set forth in claim 10,said facing segments being placed on said cement material prior to thesetting of said cement material to a hard condition.
 12. The structureas set forth in claim 6 wherein the shape of each long segment isrectangular.
 13. The structure as set forth in claim 6 wherein thelength of each long segment is 12 inches.
 14. The structure as set forthin claim 6 wherein the width of each long segment is 1.5 to 2 inches.15. The structure as set forth in claim 6 wherein the thickness of eachlong segment is ⅜ inches.
 16. The structure as set forth in claim 6wherein the shape of each short segment is square and the dimensions ofeach short segment are 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches.
 17. A decorative columnstructure for interior use comprising: an elongated, hollow cylindrical,lightweight, self-supporting fiber support of a preselected length anddiameter, and a patterned array of thin, narrow, flat natural stonedecorative facing segments rigidly affixed to and entirely covering anexterior surface of said support, said array including alternating, endto end long and short segments, said long segments being longitudinallyoffset from one another the length of each short segment to provide fordecoration and increased strength.
 18. A decorative column structure forinterior use comprising: an elongated, hollow cylindrical, lightweight,self-supporting fiber support of a preselected length and diameter, apatterned array of thin, narrow, flat natural stone decorative facingsegments rigidly affixed to and entirely covering an exterior surface ofsaid support, said array including alternating, end to end long andshort segments, said long segments being longitudinally offset from oneanother the length of each short segment to provide for decoration andincreased strength, and a flat base of a material matching said facingsegments, said support being disposed on said flat base and securedthereto.
 19. A method of making a decorative column structurecomprising: providing an elongated, fiber tubular support of apreselected dimension, and attaching a plurality of thin decorativefacing segments to an exterior surface of said support in a patternedarray.
 20. A method of making a decorative column structure comprisingthe steps of: providing a fiber, spiral wound, rigid, hollow cylindricalsupport of a selected length and thickness, applying a waterproof liquidon an outer surface of said support, fastening a wire mesh material atsaid outer surface of said support, filling the mesh with a cementmaterial, attaching a plurality of stone facing segments to the cementedwire mesh to cover said outer surface leaving gaps between saidsegments, and grouting said gaps between said facing segments.